h8dirt
11-25-2013, 02:04 PM
First -- I smelted about 40 pounds of linotype this weekend from old type-set that I found. An old, clean cast iron dutch oven was used as my melting pot and I used a standard S/S soup ladle for pouring. Also, I used pine sawdust with a little motor oil for flux and I used mini-muffin tins for molds. The pours looked clean and the surface of the molten lino' was bright and free of debris and dross. Each ingot weighed out at 8 oz +/-. All good.
The question -- about half of the ingots had surface porosity and a rough finish. The same tin (with 12 molds) was used multiple times. Each batch was similar. Could the surface irregularity be from a coating that may have been on the muffin tins? Any ideas?
The question -- about half of the ingots had surface porosity and a rough finish. The same tin (with 12 molds) was used multiple times. Each batch was similar. Could the surface irregularity be from a coating that may have been on the muffin tins? Any ideas?